Cairns is a city in Queensland to the north-east of Australia. It is an incredibly unique destination because it is the best destination to explore two incredible ecosystems: the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. While the town itself may not be as enticing, it is its access to these different natural environments that makes it so exciting to visit.
The state of Queensland is known for its beautiful beaches. Its coast has some long stretches of white-sand beaches, including the Whitsundays, Sunshine Coast, and Gold Coast. Just off of the coastline is the densest portion of the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system and home to thousands of different species of fish, molluscs, crustaceans, etc and is a colorful and rich environment to observe. Another part of Queensland is a luscious rainforest, Daintree, which is the oldest rainforest on Earth, older than the Amazon. It is part of the largest tropical rainforest of Australia and has been around for hundreds of millions of years, experiencing dinosaurs, ice ages, and the creation of human beings. And near Cairns is the only place in the world where these two environments meet.
The Great Barrier Reef of Cairns
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world and is even visible from space. It is a remarkable and unique part of the ocean that can only be discovered by snorkeling and scuba diving into its ecosystem. The reef follows the coast of the state of Queensland with some parts of the reef being very close to the coast itself.
Discovering the Reef Sustainably
The reef experiences a few different impacts due to human interaction and climate change. The reefs nearest to the shore are the places along the reef that are the most visited by tourists and have been impacted by these intense repeated visits. Over time, there is evidence that human interaction with the reefs causes them damage. There is evidence of damage from boats running into the reef (the reef can be very close to the surface of the water, especially during lower tide), waste and runoff from these boats, and habitat disturbance by people touching and impacting the reef itself.
In addition to damaging the reef by physically visiting this ecosystem, climate change has had severe impacts on the lifecycle of the corals and reef itself. In a process called bleaching, the corals, which are the structure, habitat, nursery, and food for so many different sea creatures, lose their exterior tissue revealing their skeleton, hence the white appearance of the coral during. While they are not dead when they are bleached, they are vulnerable to starvation. In addition, the bleaching means that it is no longer inhabitable by other sea life and has an impact on the entire ocean ecosystem by affecting food sources throughout the food chain, which is enormous because ¼ of marine life lives in coral reefs. The bleaching is particularly apparent during the summer months (January – March) in the Great Barrier Reef. If you visit the reef during this time period, you may see less vibrancy in the water than expected.
There are a few ways that you can more sustainably explore the Great Barrier Reef.
- Visit the outer reef rather than the inner reef. This area is visited less by people due to its distance from land and experiences less impact directly from humans.
- If you have the time, try to do a multi day dive tour of different parts of the reef. These tours are more economical and sustainable than day tours that continuously return to Cairns or Port Douglas. These are great ways to go scuba diving and if you want to get your scuba diving open water license, the liveaboard options are a great way to get that training in some of the best scuba diving water in the world.
- Wear reef-safe sunscreen. We know that it is a weird texture but it will truly help protect the oceans from pollutants
- The best thing you can do is consider your impact on the environment every day, no matter where you are in the world. Recycle as much as possible, think about ways you can lower your energy consumption, and consider small daily actions that can decrease your footprint on this earth.
Tour Options
While multi-day liveaboard tours are the most ecologically friendly tour options, we understand that many people may not have three days available to them to visit the Great Barrier Reef, or the interest in snorkeling. If this is the case for you, then a one-day tour is the best option to experience the beauty of the reef.
What to Look for When Choosing a Tour
Choosing a tour can be quite overwhelming given the sheer number of tour groups that operate out of Cairns and Port Douglas. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a tour:
- Tour size: Tours can range from 20 people to 150+ people on a boat. The size of the tour can impact where the boat can go and the level of personalization of your experience with the guides.
- Style of boat: The types of boat that sail around the Great Barrier Reef are quite varied, ranging from catamaran, luxury, and sail boats. If you risk getting seasick, consider reserving a catamaran for your adventure since they tend to be most stable.
- Age of passengers: Some boats are family friendly while others are adult-only. Look into the types of passengers who can be on any particular boat if this aspect matters to you.
- Activities available: Some companies and larger boats have different activities that you can do in addition to snorkeling and scuba diving so you can see the reef in a unique way. These can include glass-bottom boat tours (great if you do not want to swim in the ocean), helicopter tours, submarines, etc. Larger reef tour groups are the ones that have access to these different activities but they can help add variety to your trip, be incredibly family friendly, and allow even more people to experience the beauty of the reef.
- Reef location: Different companies have access to different parts of the reef. Some visit the inner reef while others focus on locations in the outer reef. While the waters may be rougher because they aren’t protected by the reef as much, the animal life in this area is superior to that in the inner reef. The outer reef is also much more expansive, meaning that boats are more spread out and have less of an ecological impact on the reef itself. Some boats have roaming licenses and can independently choose the locations they visit throughout the reef based on water conditions and knowledge of where the best reef viewing might be that day. Finally, some companies have their own exclusive locations within the reef. These can be platforms, islands, or just reef locations that are owned and operated by these specific tour companies. Some of these platforms and islands provide different offerings to guests (such as the glass bottom boats and submarines) but they will be a larger group tour experience. Some tour companies also participate in the research and sustainability of the reef and use their exclusive locations within the reef as gardens to help grow coral to rehabilitate damaged parts of the reef.
What Does a Tour Entail
Tours really depend on the organization that you are going with. Some offer to pick you up from your hotel while others require you to arrive at the docks at a certain time. The tours that do not go to exclusive islands or platforms provide two stops for snorkeling while those that have the islands and platforms have just one stop, allowing you to maximize your time in that location to explore in different ways. Typically, a lunch buffet is included in the tour. Finally, some tours include a conversation around the ecology and sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef, which is beneficial in understanding what you can do to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy this beauty.
Renting Waterproof Gear
Because the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef is truly under the water, you may want to have some waterproof cameras to capture this experience. Some of the boat tours offer to rent you the gear while on the boat. (You may need to provide a memory card or purchase one on the boat as well.) If your tour does not offer the gear rental, you can also rent GoPros or cameras from different tech stores in Cairns.
When swimming and taking photos underwater, you will find that the colors will diminish as you dive deeper in the water and turn into different shades of blue. That’s because the blue color wave can penetrate the water deeper than the others, making things look less colorful than the photos that you may have seen online. Cameras often color correct images to add the appropriate amount of yellow and red back into the images.
These images show the before and after of a quick color touch-up of the reef that was developed in Lightroom after-the-fact.
Daintree National Park Outside of Cairns
Daintree National Park is part of the rainforest within Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest rainforest in the world and has been around since the dinosaur era. There is evidence of the dinosaur era through the ancient plant life and ferns that are endemic to this region and the very endangered southern cassowary that inhabits this rainforest. It is thought that this bird evolved around 60 million years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs. And if you have the opportunity to see one (either in the wild or at a zoo), you can see the dinosaur features in its feet and head. In addition, Aboriginal people, the Kuku Yalanji people, have inhabited this area for over 50,000 years.
What makes Daintree remarkable is that its vegetation grows right to the coastline of the Great Barrier Reef. It is the only place in the world where you can visit a rainforest and a reef structure together. When visiting Cairns, it is a must to explore the national park.
Visiting with a Tour Group
Daintree National Park is located about three hours from Cairns so having a tour group to this location makes the touring easier. We recommend reserving a tour with Discover Tours Australia, a tour agency that specializes in tours in the north Queensland area.
Their tour to Daintree is comprehensive in exploring the area over a full day. After getting picked up from your accommodations (either in Cairns or Port Douglas), you will start with a drive through Port Douglas where you can look at this quaint beachside town. Then, you will have a short stop for tea/coffee and local baked goods and get to visit the Mossman Gorge where you will get to take a dip in the river to refresh yourself. Throughout the walk to the Mossman river, the guide will give you information about the plants in this area. Later, you will have a stop for lunch (included in the tour), where you will get the choice to try some local Australian cuisine and a wide variety of tropical fruit that grows in the region. After lunch, you will have the opportunity to take a boat tour on the Daintree river where you have the opportunity to encounter some saltwater crocodiles. Next, you will have the opportunity to walk through the Daintree rainforest while the guide will tell you more about the unique ecosystem. Finally, you will stop at Cape Tribulation and walk along the beach. This is the location where the rainforest meets the beach, a unique occurrence in the world. From here, you will be making your way back to Cairns, with the opportunity to run into some cassowaries along the road and a stop at the unique Daintree Ice-Cream Company.
Visiting Independently
Every activity that is described in the tour group option can be done independently if you rent a 4WD car. However, it is definitely easier to visit the area through a tour group because you do not have to manage the itinerary of the day, you get the information regarding the ecosystem that you are discovering, and you do not have to do the long drive between Cairns or Port Douglas and Daintree National Park.
Where to Stay in or Around Cairns
Central Business District (CBD)
The Central Business District of Cairns has the majority of restaurants, bars, and hotels of Cairns. It is also walking distance to the dock for tours to the Great Barrier Reef. You may find some more character and riffraff in this part of town. That being said, if you are aware of your surroundings and avoid putting yourself in vulnerable situations (walking down dark and empty streets), you will still be able to enjoy the conveniences of being in this part of town.
Port Douglas
Port Douglas is a quaint beach town just an hour north of Cairns. Many of the tours that are offered in Cairns have departure opportunities from Port Douglas, so you do not have to travel to Cairns to visit some of the iconic nature that this part of Australia has to offer. If you are looking for a relaxing and laid back place to stay, then check out Port Douglas.
Things to Do in Cairns
Beyond visiting Daintree National Park and the Great Barrier Reef, we recommend spending a day exploring Cairns and its nearby surroundings.
Kuranda - The Rainforest Skyrail
Kuranda is a small town up in the rainforest above Cairns. It is full of markets and galleries with local Aboriginal artwork and unique cafes. In addition, it has a unique way of getting to and from the town that allows you to immerse yourself into the rainforest. Through the Skyrail & Kuranda Scenic Railway Experiences, you can take a train up to the town and a cable car skyrail to get back to town or vice versa. You can purchase tickets for this experience on their website here.
On the train ride, you get to travel through the rainforest and stop along the way to get a panoramic view of the majestic Barron Falls. While the train ride itself is underwhelming, the view of the falls is beautiful and it is a nice way to get to the town of Kuranda. (If the train does not interest you, you can always purchase a roundtrip cableway ticket but the different vantage points could be a nice way to spend your day.)
The trip with the cableway is wonderful. You get to ride over the rainforest and it includes two stops where you can hop out of the gondola and walk through the rainforest itself. This is a great experience, especially if you do not have the opportunity to visit Daintree National Park. You also get a closer vista of the Barron Falls at one of these stops. Whether you take the skyrail to go to the town or return from it, there is transportation provided to and from the Cairns Railway Station, which is where the train departs and returns from, making it a complete round trip experience.
Esplanade Lagoon and Boardwalk
The downtown of Cairns is located on the water and the boardwalk is a great place to wander and enjoy the waterfront. It includes parks that have public barbecues and a public pool that can be enjoyed by kids and adults to cool down in the Cairns heat. And across the street from the pool is where most of the shops and tourist agencies of Cairns are located.
Rusty's Market
If you are looking for fresh fruit and veggies, head to Rusty’s Market, especially in the morning. Not only will you find vendors selling large quantities of produce but you can also find stalls that make incredibly fresh fruit juices and smoothies with the local produce. It’s a great way to start your day before touring around Cairns.
A Sample 3-Day Itinerary to Visiting Cairns
The following itinerary is intended to be a starting point for visiting Cairns. It allows you to see the highlights of the region through group tours to make your time in the region as easy as possible. You should tailor the itinerary to your own interests.
DAY 1
Explore Cairns. Start your day by getting a smoothie from Rusty’s Market. Then, take the train or cable way to Kuranda and return in the afternoon. Finally, enjoy the sunset along the Cairns esplanade
DAY 2
Take a day tour of the Great Barrier Reef
DAY 3
Take a day tour of Daintree National Park
Read More About the Blueprint Travelers' Personal Experience in Cairns
Update 51: Visiting Cairns, Australia to see the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest
We snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef and explored the world’s oldest rainforest while in Cairns, Australia in Far North Queensland.